WASHINGTON — To provide pharmacist a detail description of each step in the comprehensive medication review, the American Pharmacists Association has published How to Conduct a Comprehensive Medication Review: A Guidebook for Pharmacists, the association has announced.

The new guide covers such areas as:

Recruiting and scheduling patients;

Preparing for the CMR;

Conducting the CMR;

Identifying and assessing patients’ medication-related problems;

Documenting the CMR encounter and action plan;

Billing for the MTM service; and

Evaluating the impact of the service.

“Concept application” exercises throughout the guidebook help reinforce pharmacists’ mastery of the process. Ten appendices include examples of marketing materials, data collection forms and a billing template.

The guide is priced at $15 ($12 for APhA members) and can be ordered online at Pharmacist.com/Shop or by phone at (800) 878-0729. It also will be available in April as an eBook through Amazon.com and other retailers. It will be posted April 29 to APhA’s online subscription product, PharmacyLibrary, the Association stated.

Lupin gets FDA approval for generic Mycobutin

MUMBAI and BALTIMORE — Lupin on Wednesday announced that it received approval from the Food and Drug Administration for rifabutin capsules USP, 150 mg — a generic version of Pharmacia and Upjohn Company’s Mycobutin capsules. The company’s U.S. subsidiary will begin marketing the product soon.

The drug is used for the prevention of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex disease in patients with advanced HIV infection. Mycobutin capsules had annual sales of $18.6 million in the United States, according to IMS MAT.

ARLINGTON, Va. — As one of the most accessible healthcare providers in the community, pharmacists are an ideal resource for consumers on the risks of illegal Internet drug sellers. That was a key message that the National Association of Chain Drug Stores stressed in a statement submitted to a congressional panel.

The U.S. House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing titled “Counterfeit Drugs: Fighting Illegal Supply Chains.”

“Community pharmacists are well positioned to serve as a resource for consumers on the risks of illegitimate online drug sellers. They are one of the most accessible healthcare providers in the community and available to help educate their patients on the importance of obtaining medications through legitimate pharmacies where the drugs are sourced through the legitimate U.S. supply chain,” NACDS’ statement read.

The statement outlined policy solutions to help address the challenges with illegal online drug sellers that operate outside the legitimate U.S. drug distribution supply chain, including targeting illegal online drug sellers through the chokepoint approach and the use of the “.pharmacy” Internet domain name.

“We support targeting illegal Internet drug sellers through the chokepoint approach,” NACDS said. “Under this approach, Internet service entities and companies, financial entities that handle payment transactions for online sales, Internet Service Providers and common carriers that provide the mailing services would have authority to stop illicit transactions at their point of interaction with these bad actors.”

In addition, NACDS stressed the approach by the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy in their effort to serve as the registry that would offer the “.pharmacy” designation to legitimate online pharmacies. Currently, “.pharmacy” is not permitted for use on the Internet, but steps are underway for NABP to offer “.pharmacy” to legitimate Internet pharmacies.

“Chain pharmacy is committed to working with Congress to protect U.S. consumers and the healthcare system from the risks of counterfeit and adulterated drugs,” NACDS said.

RELATED NEWS

The Food and Drug Administration has approved a generic of Hoffman-La Roche’s Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) capsules from Lupin. The company’s generic will be available in 30-, 45- and 75-mg dosage strengths.
The product is inficated to treat acute, uncomplicated influenza A and B in patients 2 weeks of age and older, as well as to prevent influenza A and B in patients 1 year old and older. The drug had U.S. sales of roughly $467.8 million for the 12 months ended October 2017, according to IQVIA data.

Behavioral health pharmacy and telepsychiatry company Genoa, a QoL Healthcare Company, has reached a big number with its remote psychiatry offering. The Tukwila, Wash.-based company announced Tuesday that it had facilitated more than 100,000 telepsych consultations on its video conferencing platform.
Genoa attributes the milestone to its recent buildup of its telepsychiatry operations, which grew to include 35 in 2017 from 20 at the start of the year, and included 250 providers. In 2017, the company grew to serve more than 2,500 patients per week.

This year's flu continues to be Texas big, according to the Walgreens Flu Index released Wednesday, as the top 10 communities experiencing the greatest amount of flu incidence were all located in the Lone Star State for the week ended Jan. 6.
Iowa, Idaho and Arkansas rank behind Texas in terms of flu activity. And Montana, Idaho and Iowa ranked highest among states experiencing flu activity gains.

Amneal Biosciences has launched its generic of Otsuka’s Busulfex (busulfan injection, 6 mg/ml). The product is indicated to treat chronic myelogenous leukemia.
Amneal said that its generic is available in cartons of eight single-dose vials, each of which contains 60 mg of the drug in a 10-ml clear sterile solution. The product is made without natural rubber, latex, gluten or preservatives, Amneal said.
The drug had U.S. sales of roughly $80 million for the 12 months ended October 2017, according to data from IQVIA.

Amneal Pharmaceuticals has launched sevelamer carbonate tablets, 800 mg, in 270-count bottles. This generic from the Bridgewater, N.J.-based company is an AB-rated therapeutic equivalent to Renvela.
Amneal also launched five other products in addition to sevelamer carbonate:

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